Cardfight! Vanguard: Fight For Supremacy!
by Harmonious Rhapsody
Summary: A human boy who dreams of becoming a knight. A bioroid who hopes of reuniting with her unknown family. An insect mutant who is hellbent on fulfilling his revenge. Follow the stories of many characters as they are pulled together by the hands of fate and live, suffer, and survive through Cray's Invasion Great War.
1. Rise of a New Paladin

**Chapter 1: Rise of a New Paladin  
**

 **Varonis Residence, Royal Paladin State (7:00 AM, Day -1)**

The Royal Paladin state: a country situated in the continent of the United Sanctuary found in the planet Cray, established by knights, dragons and many other creatures to house a growing population that belong to the Royal Paladin clan. Many young creatures who aspire to become knights often travel to this state and study in one of the many prestigious schools present all over the state. However, many upstart merchants and city enthusiasts travel through here as well; the state's economy remained stable as it continued to grow, which attracted many people in the hopes of making it big in this state.

Among those who wanted to prosper in the city life was a family of three: a tall lad at the age of eighteen living with his parents.

Daigo woke up to the voice of Screamin' and Dancin' Announcer, Shout. "HEEELLLOOO EVERYONE! It's seven in the mornin' here in the 'City of Pure White,' YO! Time for all you students to get ready for today! It's your final exam!"

Daigo, startled by the loud radio, struggled to get out of his bed as a mechanical bird continuously smacked into his forehead while fluttering around. "Stop getting in the way damn it! I'm going to be late!" The Giro finally stopped after bumping into him about five times.

The sound of a pegasus echoed throughout the city, signaling the start of a city day. After twenty minutes, a young man rushed out of his house, carrying a green shoulder bag. The screams of "Good luck Daigo!" were heard throughout the neighbourhood, and the young man felt energetic as he ran to the nearest Pegasus carriage. He got on the carriage just as the pegasus was about to take off, and with a flap of the majestic beast's wings, the lad flew off towards his destination.

 **Legion Cross Academy, Royal Paladin State (8:00 AM, Day -1)**

The young lad arrived in front of the prestigious academy's grand golden gate. Legion Cross Academy, one of the most well-known academies in Cray, houses many books and scrolls regarding the United Sanctuary's rich and eventful past, with tomes that even catalogue Cray's civil war in a very detailed manner. It also offers its facilities as a school network and a training ground for young, ambitious knights that would like to someday join the high ranks of the Royal Paladin and serve the king himself.

"So…today is the day," Daigo whispered to himself. After a long sigh, he entered through the golden gate. What greeted him is a sight to behold: high beasts running about, carrying messages tied around somewhere in their bodies; knights of both genders filled with vigor as they went through their early morning practice; and of course, as it is a school, the usual sight of instructors in clad armor giving orders to their students.

"Hey Daigo! Come over here!" A voice of a young maiden caught Daigo's attention. It was Tabitha, a well-known student amongst the grade zeros, belonging to the "Jewel Knight" unit. Daigo hurried over to her, and in unison, asked each other, "Are you ready?" They then laughed, as if what is to come is some kind of a light matter.

"I guess I am, Tabitha. How about you?"

"Do you need to ask? I'm ready for this! I'm going to pass this test and make a real name for myself!" Tabitha boasted.

Tabitha's upbeat expression surprised Daigo; he has barely seen the maiden in such an excited state. Daigo then smiled and looked away for a moment. _Who wouldn't be excited for this_ , he asked himself.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" Tabitha snapped her fingers in front of his face which knocked him out of his trance. "It's almost time! Get moving!"

"Ah crap! Well, I'll see you around I guess." Daigo began to sprint towards his examination room. He turned around one last time and saw the lady waving at him, to which he waved back. "Good luck!" he yelled towards his friend. He was already too far to hear the maiden's reply.

The sign "GRADE SUCCESSION EXAM ROOM" was present in the front of the door. Daigo took a moment to look back to all of his struggles: the tests he crammed for the night before, the exercises and drills he had to endure, restless nights thinking about his random musings, and now it finally comes to this.

Daigo slowly opened the door, entered the room, and found the spot he was supposed to stand on. A man with an average build stood in the front; he had unkempt hair, wore gold armor and was accompanied by a mechanical dog.

"My name is Llew! I am a member of the 'Liberator' unit from the Gold Paladin clan! I used to belong to the Royal Paladin clan, but I transferred to the Gold Paladin clan in order to reinforce their army! For today, I will be one of the instructors that you will be fighting one-on-one in order to pass this test and be able to go up by a grade! Good luck to everyone!"

The tests then began. The first student to take the test wore a robust armor, donned a red cape and held a cane. He walked up to the center of the arena and stood there, his form unwavering. The instructor was Knight Squire Allen, a grade one Royal Paladin staff member of the school.

"Student! Introduce yourself!" the instructor asked the student with a booming voice.

"My name is Niko Kiteo! I belong to the 'Wingal Brave' unit, and by passing this test I will become a member of the 'Marron' unit! My future goal is to become a legendary member of the 'Swordsman of Explosive Flames, Palamedes' unit!"

The instructor thought lightly of the lad's idea and tried to muffle his snickers. "We…well then. Are you ready for your evaluation?"

"Yessir!" Niko replied, his voice filled with confidence and conviction.

The sound of the bell echoed throughout the room, which signaled the beginning of the match. Niko held onto the two ends of the cane and extracted from one side what looked like a shiny object. The instructor already had his arm at full swing, his blade ready to slice through the examinee. The sound of clashing swords surprised everyone for a brief moment. Niko deflected away the instructor's blade and quickly went into the offensive, throwing three consecutive thrusts aimed towards the knight's exposed neck. Allen was quick enough to put up his armguard in time to block the assault and retaliated with three quick slashes.

The dancing of blades continued as the two put up a show in front of the audience. Oh's and Ah's began to echo from the crowd as each exchange nearly got one of the combatants. As the match dragged on, Allen began to attack less and less as his movements began to become sloppy due to fatigue. The young Niko, still full of energy, took this opportunity to finally end the bout by kicking the instructor's leg, causing him to lose balance. Niko quickly propped his blade against Allen's neck.

"Winner, Niko!" said the judge.

Niko put away his blade and extended his hand towards the instructor, to which the instructor took and helped himself get up.

"Congratulations, Knight Niko," Allen said as he shook the lad's hand. "Please go to the judge to receive your medal."

Everyone was amazed; the fight was exhilarating for the audience to watch. The judge presented Niko with a medal and said, "Congratulations! You have now advanced to a higher grade, and as requested, joined the 'Marron' unit." A round of applause followed.

"It was meant to happen," Niko said out loud with a confident smile and his chest puffed up. He then walked towards the side to watch the other participants proceed with their examination.

The rest of the students did not fare very well; only a fraction of the student body that were taking the advancement exam were able to defeat the instructors that tested them, and if they did, they either passed phenomenally or won out of sheer luck.

Finally, the last examinee was to take the exam. Llew stood up and stretched for a bit right before he called out his challenger. "Daigo Varonis of the 'Primgal' unit, it's your turn!"

Daigo, caught up in the moment, stood up swiftly, walked to the center and stood there. An eerie silence filled the room; it was only broken when Llew spoke.

"Are you sure you're ready to take this test?" Llew asked the lad as he observed him. "You're not looking too cool. There's always next year, mind you –"

"I-I can do it!" Daigo forcibly yelled out loud, surprising himself with the tone of his voice. "S-sorry about that sir! I'm just a tad bit nervous…Haha…ha…"

Llew sighed lightly. "Loosen up. You're not going to land any hits if you're too stiff."

"Ye-yes sir!" Daigo took a moment to calm himself. "I'm ready, Sir Llew!"

"Good luck then."

The two drew their blades and took on their respective stances: Llew, with his sword held in front of him with one arm, and Daigo, holding his blade with both of his hands. The bell rang, and Llew charged at Daigo right away. Daigo, surprised by his opponent's swift move, had no time to react and was knocked away when Llew swung his blade against Daigo's. The examinee hit the ground fairly hard, which caused him to let go of his sword.

"Are we done?" Llew was about to sheathe his sword when Daigo, in a blind rage, got up, picked up his sword, and yelled from the top of his lungs. He then charged Llew, who dodged the lunge and kicked Daigo in the back, sending him flying face first to the wall.

"Keep your cool kid! You're not passing this test in your current state!" Llew told the reckless lad.

A few seconds passed by, and the crowd thought that Daigo was not going to get up. However, in Daigo's mind, he was trying to recollect himself. _It's okay Daigo, you can do it_. He then slowed his breathing, stood up and turned around to face his opponent. He began to observe Llew while trying to come up with a plan to finish the test in one blow. He then charged towards Llew, his blade propped in front of him with the tip of the blade angled down. Llew, in his defense, prepared to parry the upcoming blow. However, the moment that they were inches away from each other, Daigo abruptly stopped and swung his sword up. This disarmed the surprised Llew, and without letting his opponent recuperate, gave Llew a shoulder block, which sent the instructor flying. When Llew tried to stand after hitting the ground, a sword flashed in front of him. He understood what this meant: defeat.

After hearing the sigh of recognition from his opponent, Daigo pulled away his sword and extended a hand to Llew. The man took his hand and stood up, shook it, and said, "Congratulations, Daigo. You have passed the exam. I present to you your medal of recognition, and as of right now, you are considered a 'Wingal' unit." Daigo smiled boyishly, and exclaimed, "I did it!" _I am now a Wingal unit_ , he thought.

"This concludes the exams for this year. For those who passed, congratulations and good luck on your future escapades. And for those who failed, work harder! Hone your skills! Do not give up on your dreams of becoming a knight of light! The future's peace will be laid in your hands!"

The few remaining students who stayed all the way until the end of the exam were dismissed. Daigo hurried towards the place where the grade zero establishment exam was being held and saw that the exam was still taking place. He silently entered the room and sat on the floor near the wall. Tabitha caught sight of him and waved at him from across the room, to which Daigo waved back. After the match that was being held finished, Tabitha quickly ran across the room and joined her friend.

"How was your exam?" Tabitha asked the lad.

"It was a breeze! It was so easy that I didn't even have to use my ultimate skill!" Daigo boasted.

Tabitha looked at her friend with disbelief. "…Are you sure you didn't get hit by a tempest?"

"W-what? No! Of course not! Haha…" After a short moment of silence, Daigo sighed. "…How badly is it showing?"

"Your nose is kind of swollen, and you've been rubbing your stomach for quite a while now. Maybe you should go to the infirmary."

"Nah! I'll be fine, trust me! Anyway, did you have your test yet?"

"I'll be going after this next one. My examiner is sitting right there," Tabitha pointed towards an elf wearing an armor set with emerald stones engraved into them.

"Oh! It's Miss Miranda! I heard she's the captain of her own unit."

"Ah." Tabitha stared at her examiner. "Daigo, do you think I can pass today?"

"Eh? Of course you can!" Daigo replied with an encouraging tone. "You have to believe in yourself!" Daigo turned away and whispered something under his breath. "I believe in you too."

Tabitha turned her attention to Daigo and smiled at him. "Thanks."

"Next examiner and examinee! Please enter the arena!" the judge exclaimed.

Tabitha stood up and entered the arena. She heard Daigo yell out "Good luck!" from behind her, which made her smile once more. She stopped right before the middle of the arena, where her gaze met her examiner's.

"State your name, young knight, along with the name of the unit you are trying to establish," Miranda asked the examinee.

"My name is Tabitha, and I am trying to establish the 'Devoting Jewel Knight, Tabitha' unit, ma'am," Tabitha replied.

Miranda drew her sword. "Alright, Tabitha. Show me if you have what it takes to be a commander, or if you are just another narcissist!"

In response, Tabitha took her sword out of its scabbard and propped it in front of her. "With my resolve I will show you my ideals!"

The signal was given for the match to begin, and the two made their move right away. The sound of clashing swords reverberated throughout the arena, showing that neither combatants were going to back down. However, it clearly became evident to the audience that the examiner was stronger than the examinee. There in the arena stood Tabitha, her breathing heavy, and across her was Miranda, her calmness unparalleled as she resumed her battle stance, ready to resume her assault towards the maiden. In an instant, the veteran Jewel Knight lunged towards the young knight, her sword held beside her to ready it for an upward slash.

Tabitha tried to put up a defense by propping her sword in front of her in a slanted manner, with the flat of the sword supported by her other arm. Once the two blades made contact with each other, however, Tabitha realized the difference of power in between them. She lost her grip on her sword and was disarmed.

"Go home, examinee Tabitha," Miranda told the lass in a monotonous manner.

"I'm not done yet!" the frustrated Tabitha yelled.

"Delusions are not what saves people in the battlefield, Miss Tabitha. It is – "

"The sheer desire to help those in need and saving those that require saving," Tabitha replied as she stood her ground firmly. A long pause followed, and the environment became tense. "I…I may not be the strongest individual, nor am I strong enough to be a frontliner when the time of test comes, but a strong army is backed up by a strong supportive role –"

"Listen clearly, and listen well, Miss Tabitha," Miranda interrupted. "The Royal Paladin clan may have a large army at its disposal, but it is by no means defined as a 'militaristic' clan." The examiner walked past the lass and stopped right beside her. "Drill that into your head." Miranda continued to walk away towards the exit, and as she opened the door, she said something towards Tabitha. "Oh, and one rule in the army: never interrupt your superior. Get that in your head too."

Tabitha, on the verge of tears, fell on her knees. Daigo ran towards her and tried to comfort her, but he could not find the words to do so.

One of the judges stood up and began to speak. "Officer Tabitha, please come here and receive your certificate. Congratulations on establishing your own unit."

"Eh…?" the two blurted out, confused by what the judge just said.

"You are now allowed to work as a captain under the unit called 'Devoting Jewel Knight, Tabitha'."

"WOOOH!" Daigo yelled excitedly after hearing the news.

Tabitha wiped away her tears and began to laugh softly. "Aren't you a bit too happy? It's not even your promotion."

"Ehehehe…well it's my friend who got the promotion, so why wouldn't I be happy?" Daigo replied with a silly wide grin on his face. "Go on, take the certificate. Your future is waiting for you."

Tabitha ran towards the judge and accepted the certificate. She also signed a few documentations regarding her unit creation. After the signing, she stood in front of the judges and saluted, to which the judges saluted back.

"Come on, Tabitha! Let's pass by the eatery and grab something to eat!" Daigo suggested.

"Alright, but you're paying for my share!" Tabitha hit Daigo on his head with a karate chop. "And that's Captain Tabitha to you!"

 **-CUT-**

 **King of Hades's Sea, Granblue State (10:03 AM, Day -1)**

The skies above the blighted sea remained dark as a storm brewed over it. Out in the middle of nowhere was a ghost ship inhabited by specters and malignant abominations. Among them was their leader, an undead necromancer whose sole purpose of living was fueled by his hatred towards the world itself, accompanied by a cyber being that was acting as an emissary for its master.

"Look at these treasures, my friend! Those pirates were rather well-off, don't you think?" the necromancer asked his companion as he perused through the newly uncovered treasures his crew found during their search of the ship.

"That is good to know, dear captain…but when do you plan on setting foot on land and helping me out?" the cyber being questioned.

"Just relax, my dear friend…I shall do so soon, after I have established my dominion over these waters. And mind you, it is nearly complete!" The necromancer lifted an attire out of a chest. "This looks rather fancy. What do you think? Does it look like it will look good to me?"

"Perhaps if you had a proper face instead of just a remnant of your living self, it would allow me to give you a better judgement," his companion replied, his tone almost monotonous as he painstakingly tried to hide his impatience and disinterest for the current topic.

The necromancer waved his bony hands over his face. His appearance then changed suddenly: the necromancer now had skin over his skeletal face, his eyes having a deep blue colour, a pointy nose, and a round jawline. "Does this look any better?"

The necromancer's companion was amused by the necromancer's magic skills. "Yes, much better."

The clouds up above the ship continued to churn as if a magical brew was being made upside down. In the murky waters came a faint purple glow that periodically faded in and out. Something ominous was about to come.


	2. Welcome, to the Ripple Squadron

Well alright! I finally figured out how to apply author's notes prior to a chapter so...I apologize for not having author's notes on Chapter 1! Now with this in mind, I'd like to explain how this story works: there will be multiple OC characters appearing throughout the series, all belonging to a "unit" that they have been assigned into (just like how Daigo (OC) from the first chapter was assigned to the Wingal unit). For the next few chapters, there will be jumping between different characters until it is time for them to actually come together as a collective and initiate the Great Invasion War of Planet Cray. There will be more author's notes at the bottom of the page. Anyway, enjoy the reading!

 **Chapter 2: Welcome, to the Ripple Squadron**

 **King's Diner, Royal Paladin State (10:05 AM, Day -1)**

The two newly-promoted knights enjoyed themselves in the eatery as they celebrated to their hearts' content. They exchanged stories about the participants that went before them and the results that those participants got. Another newly-promoted knight was captivated by their conversation and decided to approach them and join in their conversation.

"Hello," the stranger greeted. "Do you mind if I sit beside you?"

"Oh, I remember you!" Daigo exclaimed. "You were the first guy to take the exam this morning! Niko, was it?"

"I'm rather flattered that you remember my name," Niko replied. "I assume you passed the exam then? You seem pretty happy about it."

"Well you see here, my friend just got her promotion as well!" Daigo put his arm around Tabitha's back. "She just got assigned her own unit!"

Tabitha pushed Daigo away. "Geez Daigo! Too much contact!" She shifted her attention to Niko. "Sorry about my rude friend…my name is Tabitha, captain of the 'Devoting Jewel Knight, Tabitha' unit. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand to offer a handshake.

"A pleasure to meet you as well, Captain Tabitha," Niko replied as he extended his hand to shake Tabitha's. "How does it feel to be a captain so far?"

"Err…I don't know yet. It's my first day and my office is to be assigned tomorrow. I do hope I will get recruits to join the corps."

"Best of luck to you then."

"Hey Niko, which class do you belong for the training sessions?" Daigo interrupted, sensing that the two might be getting too friendly with each other.

"Class 1-F," Niko replied. "And what about you?"

Daigo reached into his pocket and produced a folded sheet of paper. "Oh cool, we're on the same training class ! Looks like I'll be looking forward to working with you!"

"I am glad to be of some help to you." Niko's phone began to vibrate inside his pocket as they conversed. "Sorry, I have to take this. I'll meet you some other time, alright?"

"Alright! See you around!" Daigo waved as Niko walked away.

Tabitha eyed Daigo with a sly smile on her face. "Mhm…so what was that?"

"What was what?" Daigo asked, puzzled.

"Oh…nothing~" Tabitha replied cheekily.

"I don't get you sometimes…"

"Geez Daigo…you're like a rock in the bottom of a lake." Tabitha took a sip of her drink and became silent all of a sudden.

"What's the matter, Tabitha?" Daigo asked Tabitha after sensing that something was amiss.

The maiden held the straw for her drink and began to stir her drink. "…I guess I'm starting work tomorrow…"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Daigo asked. "Your dream's coming true." Daigo turned around and leaned his back against the bar. "The fun times were plenty; the future will only bring more." After a short pause, he sighed lightly. "It's not bad to be selfish sometimes; you have to put yourself above others."

"…"

"And no, you can't be emotional now. I'm not going to allow you to."

"You're such a jerk…"

"You can punch me later outside."

 **Star Sign Atoll, Bermuda Triangle State (6:23 PM, Day -1)**

The sunset's rays reflected off the clear water's surface beautifully, signalling the coming of the end of the day. The continuous crashing of waves were disrupted by a small transport boat that was heading towards the Ripple Fleet Battleship, a battleship commissioned by the Aqua Force state to patrol the waters of the Bermuda Triangle state and investigate Granblue pirate activity. Somewhere inside the battleship were two soldiers discussing the plans for the arrival of the new cadets, along with the current situation at hand regarding the growing concern towards the increasing number of attacks coming from several fleets of Granblue ghost ships.

"Here are the most recent reports regarding the latest raids that the pirates did, Captain Genovious," a young seaman handed a folder filled with papers towards the captain.

"These are all from C.P.O. Pavroth, I assume?" Genovious asked Sotirio. "Has he returned from his patrol?"

"He will be arriving soon, captain." Sotirio raised his arm to check his watch for the time. "I am not sure when he shall be arriving, however."

Genovious opened the folder and laid down its contents on the table in front of him. Using rapid scanning technology software installed in his programming, he read through the documents in a span of five seconds. He then looked outside through one of the windows of the control top and observed a group of storm clouds not too far coming towards their direction. "If you can contact him Sotirio, tell him to hurry up. The new recruits will be on the deck any minute now. If he has not arrived within five minutes of the recruits' arrival, please do start the welcome speech and briefing. That is all. You are dismissed."

The two saluted towards each other, and Sotirio left to tend to his duties. Genovious sat down and with a push of a button in the table produced a holographic geographical map of the local vicinity. He then marked out the areas where Granblue raid activities occurred and began predicting where the pirates' next activities would occur. After a few moments of analysis and forecasting, Genovious stood up, grabbed his sheathed blade that was propped on the wall, contacted a few of his crew mates, and headed out for a night patrol.

 **Ripple Fleet Battleship Main Deck (6:36 PM)**

The new recruits stood around and chatted with each other as they waited for their supervisor to give them a briefing. Among the new recruits were a gillman, an aquaroid and a bioroid, all around the age of sixteen to eighteen barring the aquaroid (who was around mid 20's), and were wearing standard Aqua Force navy uniforms. Upon seeing Sotirio arrive in the main deck, the trio lined up before everyone else.

Sotirio clapped his hands to catch everyone's attention, and everyone went into position for the briefing. Upon seeing the groups all lined up and silent, Sotirio cleared his throat and began to speak. "Good evening, everyone! C.P.O. Pavroth has yet to arrive from his patrol duty, so I will be filling in for your orientation. I am Sotirio, leader of the 'Silent Ripple, Sotirio' unit and a fellow seaman just like all of you. I would like to thank you and welcome you all to the 'Silent Ripple, Sotirio' unit, where the bravest of the brave stand with their own views of justice along with their comrades in the midst of danger. We who are under Captain Genovious's command are allowed to believe and practice any way of justice that we want; however, we are all here in order to shape our justice for it to become the ultimate blade to fight off evil. Before we get into introductions, I would just like to say: best of luck to you all in the battlefield, and may your own justice lead you to the correct path. Now, from the top left, please, introduce yourself."

"Sir yes sir! My name is Juchen Taiga, graded up from the 'Tri-holl Dracokid' brigade! Starting today I shall be in your care! I hope we get along –" Someone suddenly hit Juchen at the back of his head, causing him to wince in pain. He slowly turned around as he rubbed his head to ease the pain.

"'I shall be in your care'?! We're not here to babysit you weaklings! We're here to take care of those damned pirates!" the aquaroid standing behind Juchen exclaimed.

"Well hello there, Officer Pavroth," Sotirio greeted. "It is very nice of you to drop by late for these cadets' orientations."

"I had to pass by the sickbay to get some repairs," Pavroth explained. My right arm got blown off after getting hit by a high caliber bullet shot from those matchlocks. Damn those Bluebloods!"

"I see. Would you be able to join us for the rest of the night then?"

"Hah! As if! I have to get tuned up just to make sure I'm functional tomorrow!" Pavroth walked away as he waved the group goodbye.

After seeing his tactless superior evade his duties, Sotirio could not help but sigh. "The curse of the underlings. Anyway…let's get back on topic, everyone! What is your name, lad?"

The aquaroid clicked his shoes together and saluted Sotirio. "I am Dayamei Palude, graded up from the 'Advance Party Brave Shooter' unit. Glad to be of service, sir." Sotirio acknowledged him with a nod and proceeded to observe the next cadet.

The bioroid looked around nervously. "U-ummm…" She tried to speak, only to stutter. "M…my name…my name is…"

"Ah, I remember you!" Sotirio yelled to try to help out the girl. He began to approach her. "You're Yuki Shimizu from the 'Starting Ripple, Alecs' unit, am I right? Captain Genovious talked about you a lot, being a good sniper and all of that."

"I…I'm not that good…" Yuki replied softly, trying to act modest.

I heard that you're not of Aqua Force origin. Where are you from?"

"I…I'm actually not sure." Yuki then reached around her neck to produce a locket and showed it to Sotirio. "This is the only clue I have that could lead me to my origin."

Sotirio took hold of the pendant and pressed on it, causing it to pop open. Inside the pendant was a small image of two small girls, one with white hair and the other with brown hair, and what looked like the parents of the two standing behind them, all smiling. Based on the background that the picture was taken in, which had a small house near a forest, Sotirio concluded that she might be someone from the Zoo nation. He did not disclose anything however, and instead returned the pendant without saying a word. The rest of the introductions proceeded as usual, and after the last cadet introduced himself, Sotirio began the orientation.

"Cadets, we're about to do a tour around the ship. Please do familiarize yourselves with the locations of things in the ship as you could easily get lost," Sotirio turned around and continued to speak, "for the folks that don't have photographic memory, that is." The tour went quickly and smoothly, and the cadets were all dismissed to their quarters.

"Oooh! I call top bunk!" Juchen exclaimed. He quickly jumped onto the higher bunk bed and laid there. Dayamei looked around and saw two more available beds: the lower bunk bed and a separate single bed on the other side of the small room. He turned around and saw Yuki, to which he extended his hand and gestured her to pick which bed she would like to take. Yuki nodded as thanks and proceeded to pick the single bed. The trio began to unpack their belongings and settled on ground rules on who would use which facilities in order. After their small conversation, they all decided to turn in to get ready for tomorrow.

The night began rather silently, and the discomfort of being in an unfamiliar place began to get to the trio. To alleviate his boredom and discomfort, Juchen began to talk. "So what spurred you guys on to join the Aqua Force regiment instead of living a peaceful life as a land dweller or a Bermuda Triangle cadet?"

Dayamei replied first. "It has been my way of life since my creation. Before joining the 'Advance Party Brave Shooter' brigade, I was actually coming from a long break from a mission. I was once a member of the 'Storm Rider, Basil' corps, but I was put out of commission until recently as I have taken a lot of damage during one of our mission raids in the Zoo Nation about five years ago."

"Oh! That's pretty cool! Are you sort of a veteran then?"

"More or less. I can file for another grade up right now, but I think I'll try to take it easy for now."

"Oh, okay." Juchen turned his attention to Yuki now. "What about you, Yuki?"

"I was thinking that perhaps if through my travels as an Aqua Force cadet, I could find out about my past, one way or another." Yuki held her opened locket up high and stared at the image that was inside it. "Ummm…sorry, but I don't really feel well. I'll be going to sleep for now." The lady was about to cover herself with her blanket when she remembered something. "D-don't try to pull anything, alright?!"

Dayamei chuckled. "Don't worry. You're in good company. If the guy above me tries to do anything, I'll blow his head off."

"Hey! That's not funny man!" Juchen protested.

The two continued to converse as Yuki dozed off. In a span of an hour, the gill man has asked the veteran aquaroid over forty questions, and he still had more to ask. As he was about to start another question, a loud boom echoed near the ship, and the ship suddenly shook violently.

The public announcement system of the ship turned on. "Attention to all marines currently stationed in the Ripple Fleet Battleship, please proceed to your battle stations. Pirate activity has been detected a kilometer away from the battleship." The message repeated itself continuously, alarming all those who were awake and waking those who were asleep. Soldiers rushed out of their rooms, some in their pyjamas and night gowns, others still wearing their uniforms, and headed towards the armory of the ship. Those in charge of the cannons manned their post; amphibious vehicles were deployed from the ship to intercept the incoming troops, while the rest of the soldiers remained in the vessel.

From the horizon, a large collection of low, dark clouds neared the boat. Lightning flashed inside the clouds, revealing a silhouette of what looked like a fleet of frigates. Loud thunder followed, which acted like a signal of some sort. The roar of the dead sea filled the air, and the once calm waters became erratic. From the dark clouds emerged five stormride ghost ships.

The public announcement system of the battleship turned on once again, and the voice of Pavroth came out. "Alright! Listen up cadets! Captain Geno's not here so we'll have to give these pirates the message and drill it to their undead bodies: we don't want them in these waters! Let's show them what the Ripple Fleet can do!"

The cheer that came from the cadets were nothing compared to the sound of cannons firing from the horizon. The crew in the command center activated the ship's force field mechanism, which stopped the cannonballs from hitting the ship. However, as the energy consumption of the barrier was rather high, it could only withstand a few more shots.

"Advance party one, calling advance party one, C.P.O. Pavroth here. Distance from closest enemy ship?"

One of the cadets picked up the intercom and pressed the talk button. "Seaman Fleming here, advance party one reporting. Distance from closest enemy ship estimated to be five hundred meters. Assault commencing shortly. Please send Storm Riders and Tear Knights for back up –"

Pavroth heard the screams of his men as something attacked the group. He continued to listen in until all he could hear is the sound of water flowing around the intercom as it sank down towards the bottom of the sea. He quickly turned on the public announcement system again and was about to order the storm riders and tear knights on board to head out for reinforcements when Sotirio stepped in and grabbed the mic away from him. "Cadets on board, this is Sotirio speaking. I advise everyone who does not carry a melee weapon to head back to the armory and grab either an R-038, C-090, or a C-088 blade type weapon, or if you prefer trident types, P-012 or P-019. I'll be joining you shortly on the main deck. Those who are confident with long range weaponry, please come meet me when I get there and I will select who will get to use the HP-018 or the HP-008 sniper rifles. That is all."

"What's the plan, Sotirio?" Pavroth asked, curious.

"We can't afford losing troops by sending them towards the enemy. We can't risk friendly fire if we have troops in the enemy's grounds. We'll whittle them down from afar, and if any gets close, we have the advantage of having easy access to reinforcements. It's not in the pirates' nature to just attack something that has no value, and I believe, based on past trends, that they will try to ransack the ship for valuables." Sotirio grabbed the intercom from Pavroth as well and began conversing with the advance parties, telling them to retreat. After issuing his commands, he walked away towards the exit. "Come on Pavroth, our subordinates are waiting."

Upon reaching the main deck, Sotirio met with a group of cadets standing by. He observed each one of the cadets, and after retracting the information regarding the soldiers from his memory drive, compared them to each other to see who would be fit to be the snipers. He then looked around the ship to see where they can be positioned. "Alright, Dylan, Heinz and Yuki, take those positions," Sotirio ordered as he pointed towards three different location of the ship. "Head to the armory quickly and take anything you need."

The sound of cannon fire began to die down as the three war galleons that remained after the exchange came closer. The pirates readied their harpoon guns so they can anchor their ships towards the battleship and have the planks be readied for the attack. "Ready your blades and guns, men! Take everything!" the captain of the pirates hollered. "Hrmmm…playing pirates once in a while isn't so bad." The man, wearing a fine silver cape, complimented with white dress pants and even a white vest embroidered with jewels, raised his sword, signalling his crew to ready themselves for the attack. As the planks went down, an army of skeletons, banshees and ghosts poured forth from the three ships and ran rampant in the battleship.

"Stay close! Don't stray away from your positions! Hold your grounds and we can win this battle through attrition!" Sotirio said to his comrades. Pavroth was about to charge head on again when Sotirio elbowed him right on the chest. "I have a special task for you, C.P.O. Pavroth," he said to his superior.

Pavroth laughed nervously. "That's one scary smile you have there, Sotirio."

Meanwhile, the three snipers have docked themselves on their positions. Yuki, who was positioned at the maintop, quickly set her eyes at the enemy. "In position, Captain Sotirio."

Sotirio smiled as he pushed his earpiece closer to his ear. "Captain? Yuki, you know that's too high of a rank."

"S-sorry!" the flustered maiden said in apology. "Ummm…what would you like me to call you then?"

"Anything is fine, cadet. Let's settle with Sotirio so we can get back to work, alright? Listen clearly and listen well: their captain is probably the man wearing the silver-and-white attire who's sitting comfily on the middle ship. Do you think you are up to the task?"

Yuki aimed her rifle towards the middle ship and looked through her scope. "I have a visual of the target," she replied calmly.

"Alright. Wind is blowing North-North-East at 60 kilometers per hour, average. How does it feel handling a High Powered – 018 Sniper Rifle? It's a smaller and lighter version of the A910 Howitzer that Captain Valeria tends to lug around whenever she goes out to a mission."

"It's still rather cumbersome, Sotirio. Not to mention it's rather awkward to use when I'm lying down like this…the stock is way too large, and I can't rest my shoulder against the recoil pad."

"Your feedback is very much appreciated," Sotirio replied as he recorded their conversation. "Alright, I'll leave the rest of your mission to you. We have our own matters to deal with."

Meanwhile, Pavroth was already in the frontline rallying everyone and giving commands. As he was restrained from making rash moves by his junior's orders, he could only feel irritated as he kept himself on the defensive. It did not stop him from hacking away at the enemies, however, and as he took down one pirate after another, his grin widened. "Don't break from formation! I'm going –"

A shot from behind Pavroth stopped him from advancing momentarily. "Where are you going, C.P.O. Pavroth?" Sotirio asked his superior.

"He…hehe…nowhere," Pavroth replied with his most innocent-sounding impression.

As the fight dragged on, the Aqua Force platoon's formation began to recede. Although many of the Granblue pirates have been taken care of, many more continued to emerge from the ships. Seeing that the tide is beginning to turn towards their favour, the captain of the pirate fleet decided to join the fray. Before he could get up from his seat, however, a bullet managed to hit him squarely at his chest and easily pierced through his flesh. He looked down and saw a large hole on his uniform. Enraged, the captain let out an ominous howl that sent a shiver down everyone's spine. The captain's eyes suddenly turned red, and mist began to come out from his mouth as his breathing became heavy.

Yuki continued to observe the captain through her crosshairs. She aimed for the captain's head this time, but her target completely disappeared from her view before she could pull the trigger. She frantically searched for her target through her scope, but she couldn't find him. A loud scream from the main deck soon gave away her target's whereabouts. She quickly shifted her sniper rifle towards the sound's general direction and saw the pirate captain holding a cadet by his neck, the cadet silent and unmoving.

The pirate continued to grip the lifeless cadet's body. A dark aura then began to flow out of the soldier's body and into the captain's body, and the injury that the buccaneer sustained began to mend itself. "Much better." The captain threw the body on the ground and propped his right leg over it. "Listen up, Aqua Force grunts! I ask of you to surrender this base to Xeamnz, yours truly, and I will only turn you to my ghoulish crew!"

Before the pirate could speak another word, a bullet hit him right through his cheek and exited from under his jaw, with the force of the large calibre bullet causing his head to jerk to the side. Another bullet followed, but he caught the bullet in his palm this time, crushing it to smithereens. He then extended his other hand towards one of his crew mates, an armed ghost, and uttered something under his breath. Suddenly, two dark bands surrounded the revenant, and its body began to contort weirdly as the two bands began to press against it. Another shot was aimed towards Xeamnz, but a magic barrier was already set up and so the bullet stopped and fell on the deck, making clinking sounds as it bounced against the metal floor. The once ghastly apparition, now a small sphere with the two rings orbiting it, gravitated towards Xeamnz, and a crimson hue began to flow from the orb into Xeamnz's wounds, healing it instantaneously. The dark orb disappeared, and the captain turned his attention back to the cadets, his face lacking the evidence of the damage he took earlier.

"Sea folk these days…they are rather rude and tactless!" Xeamnz remarked as he snapped his jaw back in place. "Fine! I guess there's no point in bargaining any further! Men, show them the strength of the freezing squall!" A dark fog began to settle in the ship, and the combatants were put in the midst of the darkness. The buccaneers began to mobilize and create loud noises in order to confuse the enemy.

"Hold your positions! Don't rush out recklessly!" Sotirio issued to his subordinates. He looked around to check the three snipers he sent, but the fog was too thick for him to see anything. "Pavroth! Take charge! I need to check on the cadets!"

"Will do!" Pavroth replied enthusiastically. "Finally! I can feel like a supervisor!"

Yuki struggled to keep her aim at the pirate captain's silhouette as the fog continued to thicken. As she was about to pull the trigger, her built-in scanning radar pinged, alerting her of a nearby enemy. A sharp object barely skimmed over her chest as she tried to evade her assailant's attack. Her necklace got caught on what looked like a three-pronged dagger, and as the assassin pulled away his weapon, the necklace's chain broke.

"No!" Yuki exclaimed as she watched her locket fly in the air and disappear through the fog. Moments later, she heard an object hit the waters, and her heart sank.

"Oh, this is interesting. You're feistier than the other two." The assassin stepped into Yuki's vision range and revealed himself. "I'll finish you soon enough, so please, do be patient," the man said as he took off his hood, revealing a cyberoid with long, wavy black hair, a wicked smile etched on his face. He slowly put up his arm, producing a dagger-like weapon with a weird handle. In closer inspection, there seemed to be a trigger system in it, and as the cyberoid pulled it, two daggers slid away from the central blade.

Yuki scrambled to take a stand against the cyberoid, only to find very little space for movement. One step back would lead to a long fall; one step forward, and she would be impaled with three blades.

"Well, girl? You have three seconds to decide your death."

Reading Notes:

C.P.O. stands for chief petty officer.

C-090 blade type weapon refers to Cutlass-090, similar to Battle Siren, Calista's cutlass. The number 090 was taken from her set number in Booster Set 13: Catastrophic Outbreak.

R-038 blade type weapon refers to Rapier-038, similar to Tidal Assault's beam sword. The number 038 was taken from his set number in Booster Set 13: Catastrophic Outbreak.

C-088 blade type weapon refers to Cutlass-088, similar in design to Blue Storm Soldier, Tempest Blader's sword. The number 088 was taken from her set number in Booster Set 15: Infinite Rebirth.

P-012 and P-019 refer to penetrating weapons (spear/lance types) similar in design to Battle Siren, Cynthia and Tear Knight, Lucas' tridents, respectively. The number 012 was taken from Cynthia's set number in Trial Deck 7: Descendants of the Marine Emperor while the number 019 was taken from Lucas's set number in Booster Set 11: Seal Dragons Unleashed.

HP-018 and HP-008 sniper rifles refer to high-powered sniper rifles similar in design to Tear Knight, Valeria and Tear Knight, Theo's sniper rifle and gun blade, respectively. The number 018 was taken from Valeria's set number in Booster Set 8: Blue Storm Armada while the number 008 was taken from Theo's set number in Trial Deck 7: Descendants of the Marine Emperor.

The armed ghost that Captain Xeamnz extended his arm towards was an Undead Pirate of the Frigid Night, to which he performed "lock" and absorbed his energy. You can probably then guess what unit Captain Xeamnz belongs to.

Anyway, thank you for reading! Tentative release date for the next chapter is June 24!


	3. Clash of Two Storms

**Chapter 3: A Clash of Two Storms**

 **Ripple Fleet Battleship, Bermuda Triangle State (9:47 PM, Day -1)**

Yuki panicked as she looked around for a path to escape from her assailant. Behind her was a twenty-feet drop from the maintop towards the floor of the ship; to her left is a vast ocean teeming with undead sharks; to her right were the set of handrails she used to get to the maintop, although it was currently several feet away from her; and last but not least, in front of her, the cyberoid equipped with a katar on both arms, ready to end her life.

"Three seconds are up, girl!" The assassin lunged towards the cadet, ready to strike. Suddenly, a soldier jumped up from the set of handrails and fired a warning shot in between the two, causing the cyberoid to back off to dodge the bullet. "Hmm…I am sure that I have told Xeamnz to keep the foot soldiers occupied…" the cyberoid muttered to himself.

Yuki, surprised by the warning shot, instinctively jumped back as well. She tried to reach for the edge as she fell, but missed it by a few inches. She continued to fall, and as she turned around, she was caught on a restraining net.

"Whew! Almost!" Juchen sighed in relief as he held the net gun proudly. "We're good to go, Dayamei!"

Dayamei climbed back down using the railings and joined Juchen in releasing Yuki. A few moments later, they were joined by the cyberoid, who plummeted from the maintop and caused the ship to rock for a few seconds.

"Of course…a few miscalculations always occur during these missions." The cyberoid began to walk towards the three. "No matter; you shall all fall before the Void."

Dayamei drew his beam sword and propped it in front of him. "We'll have to see if you can."

The two dashed towards each other and the bout began. Dayamei was first to strike with a sideward slash, followed up with an upward slash, which the cyberoid dodged. In return, the assassin threw three consecutive jabs aimed towards the cadet's midsection, only to be blocked by a force field generated from the device in Dayamei's hand. Dayamei pulled back his sword and tried to stab his opponent in his stomach, but his arm was swatted away. The assassin then countered with an uppercut, which grazed Dayamei's chin as he tried to avoid the assault. The aquaroid jumped back to disengage from the cyberoid, but the assassin's persistence kept him glued to the cadet.

A shot from the side changed the assailant's focus towards the source of the gunfire and quickly lunged towards the other two cadets. "Interrupting two people in a bout is rude!" the cyberoid yelled as he hit Juchen on the stomach with the back of his arm, sending Juchen flying towards the ship's wall and getting the air knocked out of him. The assassin then turned his attention towards Yuki and threw a jab towards the female cadet, which she blocked using her arms; however, the daggers pierced through her protective armour and injured her. The assassin then pulled away his weapon from the maiden and delivered a heavy kick towards the cadet's midsection, knocking her away.

Dayamei took this opportunity to recalibrate his beam sword's energy output and adjust his physical limiter. He then attacked the distracted assailant from behind, his blade raised up high and readied to deliver a downward slash. The slash connected cleanly against the cyberoid's back, and sparks flew as the blade slid against metal. The cyberoid, however, did not feel pain, and quickly retaliated with a punch directed towards Dayamei's gut, and the daggers easily ripped through metallic skin and wiring. Dayamei quickly kicked him away before his assassin could deal more damage.

"Blow for blow! But I have the advantage, lad," the assassin remarked as he gleefully watched the aquaroid struggle. "Do you think you can keep dancing with me, lad?"

 **Star Sign Atoll, About 20 Kilometers away from the Ripple Fleet Battleship (9:55 PM)**

"Recon party one to main base, can you hear me? I repeat, can you hear me? This is Captain Genovious reporting. Please respond to confirm your current situation." Genovious continued to contact the Ripple Fleet Battleship, but no reply came back. "Cadet Danielle, distance until we reach the main ship?"

"Twenty kilometers, captain. Approximate travel time is twenty minutes."

Genovious tightened his grip on the handle of his sword. "I hope we make it in time."

 **Ripple Fleet Battleship (10:02 PM)**

Cadets fell left and right as the undead pirate captain rampaged on the ships main deck. He grabbed one of the fallen cadets and began infusing a dark aura into it; after a short incantation, Xeamnz's face lit up as his new creation slowly stood up and advanced towards its comrades.

"Mark! Get back in formation!" A fellow comrade yelled. The undead cadet slowly advanced to him and bumped into him lightly. "What are you doing Mark? Come on! We have to –" A gunshot within the cadets' groups startled the seamen, and a look of horror overcame their expressions.

Xeamnz cackled loudly as he witnessed the tragedy unravel before him. He reanimated a few more of the fallen cadets and continued to watch as confusion ensued throughout the enemies' ranks. His smile disappeared in an instant, however, as he saw an officer rally his troops back in action and take down the undead cadets with no hesitation. "A show disturber, eh…"

"Look at everyone's cores! See if they are damaged!" Pavroth ordered to the cadets. "Hack down any cadets that have a damaged core!" Although it seemed to him that his message was loud and clear, he could feel the rookies' hesitation in following his plan. More and more cadets fell as their undead allies mercilessly whittled them down. "Damn it! Damn it all! Where are you Genovious?!" Pavroth quickly sidestepped as a rusty silver cutlass hit the floor where he stood, a buccaneer holding it on its handle. "Hey! Didn't you know it's rude to interrupt a sidekick's call for the hero?"

"You are ruining the show, boy…" Mist slowly oozed out of the buccaneer's mouth as his red eyes glared at the cadet.

"You mean MY show? Come on, old man! If anything, YOU are ruining it!" With his curved blade pulled back, Pavroth lunged towards Xeamnz and unleashed a flurry of slashes. Xeamnz weaved back and forth to dodge some of the blows, often times using his cutlass to parry away the incoming sword. "You proclaim yourself as the 'Dead King of the Sea' or something, pal? Maybe you should just chill and stay down under! You suck at swordplay! I've seen powder monkeys do a better job than you at this!"

Irritated by the aquaroid's continuous taunting, Xeamnz went on the offensive and hacked away on Pavroth; however, truth be told, Xeamnz was not well-versed in the arts of swordsmanship, and as such, could not land a blow, let alone hit the aqauroid's blade. Seeing that his efforts were futile, Xeamnz threw his cutlass on the floor and let out an eerie owl. "Insolent fool! You do not know who you are up against!"

"Of course I don't!" Pavroth snapped back. "Who the hell knows about a Granblue unit named 'Ice Prison Necromancer, Cocytus'? I didn't even learn about your unit's existence until now!" Pavroth began to back off as he sensed that his insults hit a nerve; however, he was suddenly unable to move his feet, and as he looked down, his boots were encased in a thick layer of ice. "Well…shit."

"Apologies won't be enough to atone for your sins, boy…Now, feel the wrath of the Lord of the Frozen Abyss…"

 **####**

Meanwhile, Dayamei and Azny continued their bout, with Yuki and Juchen on the side watching them as they recuperated from the damage they took earlier. Dayamei continued to leak out energy through his opened circuits, and as the match dragged on, his energy reserves continued to deplete. Azny, on the other hand, had protective metalloid coating wrapped around his circuitry, and as such had a stable energy consumption throughout the fight. Azny also began to sense something amiss in the aquaroid's body, although he was unsure if it was a good thing or not.

"I applaud your perseverance, cadet, but this will only lead to your doom," Azny warned, a smile etched at his face. "Just give up and accept your fate!"

Dayamei parried away the incoming attacks at the cost of losing an arm. "I…I have yet…to execute…my purpose…"

Azny watched as something peculiar leaked out of the aquaroid's arm. A bizarre fluid dripped towards the floor, and a dark miasma oozed from it. "Hmm…I see now…" Azny said under his breath. The aquaroid raised his remaining arm and readied himself for the battle, but Azny put away his weapons. "I will spare your life for now…but those two on the other hand will have to die." Azny sent a blast of shockwave towards Dayamei, rendering him useless for a short duration. He then approached the two watching by the side and readied his weapon. "Your time has come, weaklings…Perhaps you should have stayed at home," Azny threatened as he ran each blade across each other and watched the two inch away slowly in fear.

A gunshot from not too far struck the cyberoid by one of his exposed circuits and damaging it. "You're not going to lay your hands on them," Sotirio threatened.

"Another nuisance joins the party." Azny was about to confront Sotirio when a warning signal alerted his system. "I'd love to stay in this fight, but I have other things to tend to," he said in excuse. "Remember, young ones, if you ever feel like meeting me again, I invite you to travel to the West." Azny ran and jumped towards the sea, disappearing as he entered the thickness of the fog.

"Are you all okay?!" Sotirio asked Yuki and Juchen, his tone filled with worry.

"We're fine," Juchen replied, although he was rather short of breath. "You might want…to tend to Dayamei first…" The gillman collapsed from exhaustion before he could finish his sentence.

"Yuki, help him out! I'll take care of Dayamei here!"

 **####**

Genovious looked through his binoculars to see and assess the situation in the main deck of the battleship. He quickly scanned the area and saw Pavroth suppressed by a creature he presumed was the captain of the raid fleet, as well as cadets fighting each other, which confused him. "Valeria, take aim at the creature wearing all white."

"Are you assuming that he's the captain of the crew, Captain Geno?"

"No; it's because Pavroth's in trouble."

Multiple shots were quickly fired in succession towards Pavroth's general direction. Valeria continuously pulled on her sniper's trigger until she ran out of rounds. "You better not be dead, Pavroth!" she yelled as if he could hear her.

As the dust began to settle from the barrage of large caliber bullets, the group saw Xeamnz eyeing them, his face all contorted. He was unscathed, but his expression was filled with anger and hatred, as if he was just interrupted from his current activities. He shifted his attention back to Pavroth and raised his arm, blade in hand ready to slash at the cadet.

The group quickly jumped out of the patrol boat and rushed towards the battleship using their water skis. "Don't touch my Pavroth or I'll blow you to a million pieces!" Valeria yelled as she unleashed another barrage of shots. She quickly reloaded and continued her ranged assault against the buccaneer.

Genovious was the first to reach the ship and quickly ran towards the undead captain, his sword drawn and poised to strike. He performed multiple quick slashes and easily made Xeamnz go to the defensive. He quickly took a quick glance towards Pavroth to see how he was and saw multiple scratches across his chest as well as on his arms. He then increased the intensity of his attacks to the point where Xeamnz couldn't even retaliate. He was then joined by the other cadets in subduing the pirate.

"So you're the leader of this fleet?" Genovious asked rhetorically. "It's a complete surprise to me that 'Cocytus' would show up and command a fleet this big. Nevertheless, I can't have you going around pillaging and ransacking places."

"Pillaging?! Hah! Riches are of no use to me! You, who are blinded by your ways of justice! You do not know the true meaning of revenge!" Xeamnz threw away the rusty cutlass and produced a battle staff out of thin air and began channelling a spell. "I have been sealed for many years by my own comrades, for an act that could have graced the clan of Granblue for many generations! They betrayed me, threw away our future, for they think I have grown mad from my ambition, our ambition, the Void's ambition!" Strong gusts suddenly came in and prevented the cadets from advancing closer to the necromancer.

 _Void's ambition? What could he mean?_ Genovious asked himself. "Enough with your futuristic nonsense! I'm turning you in!"

"TRY ME!" Xeamnz slammed the butt of his staff against the ship's floor, and a light blue magic circle appeared.

"Xeamnz, don't sink the ship," the voice from Xeamnz's earpiece commanded. "I advise you to retreat temporarily –"

Xeamnz took off his earpiece and crushed it under his feet. "I'll start the world's retribution with you, captain…" Pillars of ice shot out of the ground in a wave-like pattern from where Xeamnz stood and moved outward towards the cadets who were still being buffeted by the strong winds.

"Ah…! I can't…move my arm…" Genovious tried to position his shield in front of him, but the barrier did not budge as if it was as heavy as the ship itself. He turned his attention back at the ice pillars rapidly closing in at him, and with all his might, pulled on the heavy shield. It still didn't move, and as the shard of ice was about to make contact with him, he positioned his blade in front of him as a makeshift barrier, closed his eyes, and hoped for the least detrimental outcome. Several moments passed, but the aquaroid did not receive any signals from its programming regarding any damage taken from the assault. He slowly opened his eyes and saw another aquaroid standing in front of him. His eyes widened as he realized who stood in front of him. "Pavroth!"

Pavroth slowly turned his head towards his superior, a faint smile etched on his face. "It's just…a scratch captain…Now get out there…and show 'em how a real captain works…"

Carrying the will of his subordinate, along with the rest of the crews' lives, Genovious dragged his heavy shield towards his front and slowly advanced towards the undead buccaneer, pushing through the frozen ice and the blasts of wind.

"You'll be frozen before you even reach me, captain!" Xeamnz exclaimed as he cackled loudly once more. "Just give in to your fate –"

A blade stuck out of Xeamnz's chest, disrupting his focus and ending the incantation. "We are leaving, Captain Xeamnz," Azny said monotonously towards Xeamnz, although the pirate felt that his words carried some sort of threat, and if he were to disobey him, dire consequences could occur.

Xeamnz cursed under his breath. "Just remember, your justice shall be your fall." He raised his battle staff and signalled his troops to fall back to the war galleons. The three remaining ships withdrew towards the stormy clouds once more, and as the clouds drifted away, so did the traces of the ships.

Genovious quickly turned his attention back to his wounded subordinate and inspected his core for the severity of the damage he took. "Aides! Take Pavroth to the repair shop quickly!"

"Captain Geno! How's Pavroth?!" Valeria asked nervously as she climbed into the deck and ran towards the two. After seeing Pavroth's condition, she froze right on the spot and couldn't say a word. She watched silently as the aides took away the aquaroid, unsure if she would be able to see him again.

Genovious began issuing commands for body counting and ship damage inspection in order to keep everyone's mind occupied. However, many were still shaken from the ambush earlier. The newly-recruited cadets in particular sat in their quarters silently as the memories of their comrades attacking each other replayed over and over in their head, whether they wanted it to do so or not. Fatigue began to set in as well, and with the numbing cold still present in the ship, they could not find the warmth and comfort that each of them longed for.

The public announcement system turned back on at about two in the morning. Genovious wasted no time and asked all able-bodied cadets to report at the mess hall for an important announcement.

Yuki and Juchen dragged themselves out of their bunkers and headed towards the mess hall. To their surprise, they were joined by Dayamei, who already underwent full repair.

"Yo Dayamei! Are you alright?" Juchen asked the aquaroid.

"Fine enough to participate in this mission, I suppose," Dayamei replied.

Genovious cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Alright cadets…I know that this has been a rough day for everyone, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. I hate to say it, but we need you all to get over this event as fast as possible. On another note, we have received a request from the Bermuda Triangle Talent Agency. We will be performing an escorting mission for our clients, Miss Sedna and her group, towards Aquasinge City, located West from here. We will be stopping by Cryogen Village, a small port town in the Neo Nectar State. Volunteers are highly appreciated."

Yuki reached for her necklace around her neck only to grasp thin air. "I…I'd like to go," she said out loud as she stood up.

"I'll be heading as well," Dayamei replied second. _There is something that I must accomplish through this mission._

"Looks like I'm joining in as well! Haha!" Juchen said. "I'm not about to be left behind by my roommates!"

As the meeting neared its end, the cadets who volunteered were ordered to take their time recovering and packing. "The mission will commence in three days. Prepare yourselves."

 **King of Hades's Sea, Granblue State (4:04 AM, Day 0)**

Xeamnz slammed his fist on the wooden table. "Why did you stop me, Azny?! I was so close in taking down that damn ship along with a fraction of Aqua Force!"

"Is the dominion of Granblue not big enough for you?" Azny asked as he played around with a broken core that he picked up during their retreat.

"No! Granblue must rule the vast seas in order for it to flourish!"

Azny set down the core in front of Xeamnz. "Do you know what Granblue lacks in order to realize this ambition of yours?"

Xeamnz stood up and grabbed Azny by the collar of his cloak. "Are you mocking us? Granblue does not lack anything! Everyone under my guidance has the drive, the energy to take over all of the seas of Cray!"

Azny tried to restrain his laughter. "Would you like a hint?"

Xeamnz gritted his teeth in anger. "Do tell me, oh great one!"

Azny put down his toy and pushed it towards Xeamnz. "You lack the technology that most clans carry. Sure, you have the numbers to compensate for this, but how exactly would it be helpful if thousands of your troops could be wiped out in a blink of an eye? Remember, you may have almost won that fight against the Aqua Force captain, but that was in terms of numbers and of course, your powers well. But have you taken into account fights where you are not present? Of fights where superweapons are used? Surely, a sword or an ancient gun wouldn't be enough to fight against a sniper, for instance."

Indeed, the Granblue fleet have only used aged technology during its raids throughout history, while the other clans continued to advance technologically. They did not have the innate firepower that the dragons carried, nor did their troops have the discipline of a knight. They were not as organized as either the Megacolony syndicate or the Aqua Force fleet to compensate for their lack of technology either. The captain understood this very well, but the thought of them being inferior to the other clans did not sit well with him.

"…You still haven't told me why we retreated at the first place," Xeamnz asked calmly this time. "The Star Sign Atoll is one of the few places where Bermuda Triangle and Aqua Force units travel through safely from the East to the West. Capturing that point would have been a strategic advantage for us."

"Do not worry, my friend," Azny replied as he grabbed the core and raised it against the moonlight, watching it in awe as the light reflected off its dull surface. "We will have it soon enough."


End file.
